The search for a missing hiker continued on Monday

The search for a missing hiker continued on Monday. Nineteen-year-old Emily Sotelo of Westford, Mass., was dropped off at the Lafayette Place Campground at approximately 4:30 a.m. Sunday morning, with plans to hike Mount Lafayette, Mount Haystack and Mount Flume. Nearly 40 search and rescue personnel combed the area overnight, checking along trails and drainage areas. Sotelo was not dressed for the cold. Conditions above the ridgeline on Sunday were treacherous with zero-degree temperatures, 40-mile-per-hour winds, and a minus-30 wind chill. “She was woefully unprepared,” said Fish and Game Capt. Michael Eastman. “She was wearing sneakers and athletic pants. She had a brown jacket on, a small pack with a hydration system, and a little bit of food.” Sotelo is described as 5-foot-3 and 115 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. Her parents said that she was an avid hiker but with little winter hiking experience. When Sotelo did not return as planned, her mother notified authorities at around 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon.